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Five rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and one soldier were killed during fighting in the eastern Turkish province of Bingal, a government official said Monday.

The fighting, in which two soldiers were also wounded, occurred near the village of Dinarbey in the southeastern part of the country, according to a statement from police authorities in Diyarbakir tasked with coordinating the fight against the PKK.

The statement did not provide details on the clashes.

The PKK has fought for self-rule in southeast Turkey since 1984, but declared an end to its armed campaign in September following peace calls from its leader Abdullah Ocalan, on death row in Turkish jail.

Since then fighting between Kurdish rebels and government troops in the region has significantly scaled down. The conflict has claimed some 36,500, according to Ankara -- DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AFP)